Cleanup begins at closed Millstadt chemical business

Workers in hazardous materials protective suits were in Millstadt Tuesday to begin the cleanup of an abandoned business.

Investigators in August discovered hundreds of containers of dangerous chemicals in the building that formerly housed Advanced Asymmetrics. Some of the contrainers were small bottles, some were 55-gallon drums. Ilinois Environmental Agency director Lisa Bonnet issued an order then that the business be sealed.

“The abandoned laboratory poses an increased danger to the public due to the quantity of known and unknown chemicals that were found to be unsecured on the property,” according to the IEPA statement. “The Illinois EPA believes that the site poses an immediate health risk to anyone entering the site.”

The business, which was located at 109 S. Kossuth, was a producer of custom chemicals. The hazardous situation was discovered when neighbors complained about a foul smell coming from the building. Police investigated to find doors unlocked and windows broken and the unsecured containers of chemicals inside.

Advanced Asymmetrics has been closed since at least 2012 when power to the building was disconnected. The building is located in a residential neighborhood near an assisted living center for senior citizens.

This story was originally published September 30, 2015 at 7:02 AM with the headline "Cleanup begins at closed Millstadt chemical business."